Hanoi - a peek

I never knew that hanoi could offer scenic views. it was a trip which gave me much needed tranquil and serenity.

Day 2:

It was the most boring day of the trip. We visited temples and lakes and Ho Chi Minh's resting place. A pity we couldn't view his body in winter. Anw, here's the place he used to work and live in, which was rather nice and peaceful.

Day 3:

The night before, we moved into a hotel at Ha Long bay, 3 hours drive from hanoi. A quaint little town with small, narrow buildings.

The view of the bay from the hotel..

Mummy looking beautiful before we set off for Ha Long bay. This place is a must-go when u visit hanoi.

We set sail on a junk ship and cruised along the bay on a 5 hour trip. It's just awesome how vast and great nature can be. It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. It was misty and cold, with boats few and far between. Very tranquil..

Loved how we could go on the deck and let the winds whip across our faces though it was freezing and i was so under-dressed for such weather. Five thin layers just wasn't enough.

There was lunch provided on board but before that, we dropped at a little fishing place in the middle of the waters. It's rather interesting, we could buy seafood from this place to add to our lunch by simply choosing what we want, pay up, and board the ship to continue our journey. The "cook" for our ship would cook the stuff we bought for our lunch.

Throughout my journey, i saw that it was very common for families and children to live on little boats and form their livelihood on the water. They would sell things on their boats to tourists by rowing close to their ships and showing them goods like fruits, drinks and biscuits. Some families even seem to have their boats as homes. It's kinda sad to see very very small children selling things in such cold winter. They have fruits and biscuits as toys and sing and jump around their boats to play.

We then came to this island (i think it's heaven's island) where we docked and climbed a cliff. It was said that the view from the top is spectacular.

This was halfway up the high cliff...

The climb was steep and high.... we needed frequent rests!

View from the top.... very breathtaking. The climb was totally worth it.

Day 4:

This day was spent at a lake which was really quiet and peaceful. I felt like i was right in the middle of a swordsman film.

At the bay where we boarded a small rowing boat. More like a sampan actually. Very quaint. It was a 2 hour journey to and fro. The boat was rowed by a middle-aged woman and her daughter. There was a neighbouring boat which was being rowed by a 70 year old woman!

Mummy and I took turns helping the woman's daughter row the boat as she was very tired. It was quite fun actually! But very tiring.

There's alot of cliffs around and we spotted little goats climbing around the cliffs and they mehhhed at us when we rowed past! Super cute.

Totally loved the villagy feel of this place. Definitely a must-come esp. with your lover. 2 persons to a boat. U'll totally feel like u're in your own world, with blue skies and birds chirping away.

Lastly, a few snap shots of the people of hanoi. People making a living and children.

A parting shot. The last evening of hanoi was spent on a rickshaw around old quarters, though we didn't get to alight and shop around. It was a harrowing one hour ride along the scariest roads in the world. I truly feared for my life but managed to sneak a few shots here and there. This seemingly calm road is misleading. Motorcycles were in fact millimetres from my rickshaw and I was awed by how they could never scratch us.